Record filing apparatus



H. s. JQHNS RECORD FILING APPARATUS Fil ed Sept. 23, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 5 H. s. JOHNS I RECORD FILING APPARATUS Filed Se p t. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS a base, indicated generally at l.

Patented Apr. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECORD FILING APPARATUS Henry S. Johns, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application September 23, 1942, Serial No. 459,351

10 Claims.

This invention relates to record filing apparatus, and more particularly to drawers of the type that are used in such apparatus for the purpose of filing records such as cards and correspondence and wherein a slidable member, known as a compressor, is employed and between which and the front of the drawer, or a transverse partition in the drawer, the articles to be filed are placed.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide, for drawers or similar elements of a filing apparatus, a compressor which may be adjusted lengthwise of the drawer without danger of tilting or binding during its movements and which will be provided with simple and effective means for clamping the same in any position to which it may be moved. A further object of the invention is to provide a compressor which can be made from non-metallic substances and which will at the same time be at least as cheap of construction as, and even more eflicient in operation than, are the metallic compressors with which the trade is now provided.

I accomplish the foregoing objects, and other and more limited objects which will be pointed out hereinafter, in and through the construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings hereof, wherein Fig. 1 represents a vertical transverse sectional view through the drawer of a filing apparatus having my compressor therein, the said compressor being shown in front elevation and in locked position, certain parts of the compressor being broken away; Fig. 2 a plan view of the compressor and the front end portion of a drawer with which it cooperates; Fig. 3 a

filing cabinets, the front of the drawer being provided with a pull 4. The bottom of the drawer is provided with a wide slot 5 extending longitudinally thereof, centrally between the sides, the portion of the slot adjacent to the front of the drawer being widened, as shown at 5*, for the reception of the base of the compressor, which will now be described.

6 denotes generally the presser element of the compressor, the bottom of the said element being rigidly connected at its central portion with The top portion 1 of the base is rectangular in plan and is of a width to enable it to be received between the portions of the bottom defining the slot 5. The base is widened at the bottom thereof to provide lateral extensions 7* adapted to project beneath the lower sides of the portions of the bottom defining the slot 5, the amount of this projection, both longitudinally of the bottom and laterally of the same, being such as to prevent the formation of slots in the portions of the bottom engaged by the said extensions, and there being vertical walls 7 between the top of the base and the lateral extensions 7 The lateral extensions 'l do not extend the full length of the base, having their front and rear ends spaced from the front and rear ends of the base, thereby to provide bearings in such front and rear ends for pins or shafts 8 which are provided at their outer ends with rollers 9, having their upper surfaces substantially flush with but slightly be low the tops of the said extensions, whereby they provide anti-friction means for engaging the bottom only when the base and the presser element attached thereto are tilted in a fore-andaft direction, thereby to prevent undue friction between the base and the drawer bottom due to such tilting, as the compressor is adjusted along the slot in the latter.

The presser element 6 of the compressor is conveniently made of front and back plates I0 and II, respectively, with filler pieces l2 inserted between the opposite side portions of the said plates, leaving a central space I 3 between the filler pieces within which space the lower portion of a cam lever I4 is mounted for rotation upon a stud or short shaft l5 mounted in the front and back plates. The lower end of this cam is adapted to engage a locking plate l6 which is slidably mounted within the lower portion of the space provided between the front and back plates, the filler plates being shown as recessed at l2 to accommodate and provide guiding means for the end portions of the locking plate.

To facilitate the movement of the compressor along the shelf bottom as well as to prevent lateral tilting of the presser element, the opposite sides of the said element are provided with rollers I! which are mounted upon shafts l8 and extend below the bottom of said element.

It will be evident that, by rocking the cam lever H in the appropriate direction, the looking plate will be forced downwardly, lifting the rollers ll out of engagement with the upper surface of the drawer bottom 2, thereby to clamp the compressor in place by engagement of the locking plate with the upper surface of the drawer bottom and by the engagement of the extensions 1' with the lower surface of the drawer bottom.

Attention has been called hereinbefore to the fact that the slot 5 is provided with a widened portion 5 adjacent .to the front of the drawer. This widening of the slot is for the reception of the lateral extensions I of the compressor base when the compressor is inserted within the drawer preliminarily to moving the compressor to a position wherein these extensions and the rollers 9 will assume their operative relations to the lower surface of the drawer bottom.

As a means for rigidly connecting the front and back plates to the base, the base is preferably made in two symmetrical side sections which are adhesively united to the outersides of the lower central portions 6 of the said plates, the bottom of the space between said central portions being closed by a filler piece If) adhesively united thereto. As a further means for uniting the front and back plates and the base into a unitary structure, dowel pins 28 are provided which are mounted in the base and which extend through the downward extensions 6 of the front and back plates and through the filler piece, it being noted that the pins or shafts 8 which support the rollers 9 also extend through these dowel pins.

A compressor constructed as shown herein is efiicient in operation, being capable of ready ad justment without binding and also without tilting or binding of the base or presser element of the same, and also possessing effective means whereby it may be readily and conveniently clamped in any position to which it may be so adjusted. Still further, it can be constructed of material other than metal, such as press wood, three-ply hardwood, maple or gumwood, plastic materials and, due to the manner in whichthe parts are constructed and united, it possesses all of the strength necessary to enable it to perform its functions, and is, moreover, inexpensive of production.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a bottom provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same and intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a base having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom defining the sides of the slot and also having lateral extensions projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the said slot, the amount of such projection being sufficient to prevent the formation of grooves through the frictional engagement between such extensions and the portions of the bottom engaged thereby, said compresser comprising also a presser element having the central portion of the bottom thereof rigidly connected to the said base and adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, and means for securing the said compressor in various positions to which it may be adjusted along the bottom of the drawer, the said means includinga cam pivotally secured to the presser element for movement in a plane extending transversely of the drawer.

2. In the filing apparatus recited in claim 1, the portion of the base which is located below the slot being provided with a roller in front of,

and a roller at the rear of, each lateral projection, said rollers being adapted to engage the portion of the drawer bottom therea-bove by tilting movements of the base.

3. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a bottom, the said bottom being provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a base having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom forming the sides of the slot and also having lateral extensions projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the said slot, a presser element connected to the said base and adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, the said presser element comprising a front plate and a rear plate with filler members interposed between the side portions of the said plates and united thereto, thereby providing a space between the front and back plates and the filler mem bers, a clamping member reciprocable in said space and adapted to engage the upper surface of the drawer :bottom on opposite sides of the slot therein, and a cam pivotally supported by the presser element and having an operating portion within the space provided between the said front and back plates adapted to engage the said clamping member.

4. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a bottom, the said bottom being provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a base having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom forming the sides of the slot and also having lateral extensions projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the said slot, a presser element connected to the said base and adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, the said presser element comprising a front plate and a rear plate with filler members interposed between the side portions of the said plates and united thereto, thereby providing a space between the front and back plates and the filler members, a vertically reciprocable. clamping member mounted for movement within the space provided between the front and back plates and adapted to be brought into forcible engagement with the portions of the upper surface of the drawer bottom, and means carried by the said presser element for operating the said clamping member thereby to secure the compressor in various positions to which it may be adjusted along the drawer bottom.

5. A compressor adapted for movement along the slotted bottoms of filing drawers, the same comprising a presser element and a base, the presser element comprising a front plate and a back plate with filler pieces interposed between the side portions thereof and united thereto, the frontand back plates each having lateral portions adapted to be moved longitudinally above opposite sides of the bottom of the drawer and also having each a central portion adapted to extend through and below the drawer bottom slot, a filler piece interposed between and united to the bottoms of the central extensions of the front and back plates, and a base comprising a pair of side members each having an upper portion of a width and depth adapting it to be received within the drawer bottom slot and form a slidable connection with the sides of said slot and each provided with lateral projections adapted to underlie the lower surfaces of the portions of the drawer bottom extending outwardly from said slot, and dowel pins uniting the said base sections and extending through the central portions of the front and back plates.

6. In the compressor set forth in claim 5, a vertically movable clamping member in the space provided between the front and back plates and the filler pieces, and means located in said space for pressing the said member into forcible engagement with the upper surfaces of the portions of the drawer bottom extending in opposite directions from said slot.

7. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a bottom provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a base having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom defining the sides of the slot and also having lateral exten sions projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the slot, a presser element rigidly connected to the said base and adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, and means for securing the said compressor in various positions to which it may be adjusted along the bottom of the drawer, the portion of the base which is located below the slot being provided with a roller in front of, and a roller at the rear of, each lateral projection, said rollers being adapted to engage the portion of the drawer bottom therea-bove by tilting movements of the base.

8. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a, bottom provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same and intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a base member having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom defining the sides of the slot and also having lateral extensions for projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the slot, a

presser element having the central portion of the bottom thereof rigidly connected to the said base and adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, the said presser element having a recess extending vertically upwardly from the bottom thereof and between the front and back faces thereof, and a clamping member movably mounted in said recess and having a portion thereof adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with the upper surface of the bottom of the drawer thereby to secure the compressor in various positions with which it may be adjusted along the bottom of the drawer.

9. In the compressor set forth in claim 8, means for operating the said clamping member and including a cam rotatably mounted in the recess in the presser element.

10. In a filing apparatus comprising a drawer having sides and a bottom provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the same and intermediately of the sides thereof, a compressor comprising a :base having an upper portion adapted to be received between and form a slidable connection with the portions of the bottom forming the sides of the slot and also having lateral extensions projecting beneath and underlying the lower surfaces of the portions of the bottom extending laterally from the said slot, a presser element having the central portion of the bottom thereof rigidly connected to the said base and. adapted to extend transversely of the drawer between the sides and above the bottom thereof, the said presser element having a recess extending upwardly thereinto from the bottom thereof, the said recess being of greater lateral extent than the width of said slot, a clamping member reciprocably mounted in said recess, the sides of the bottom of the said clamping member extending beyond the said slot, and means carried by the said presser element for depressing the said clamping member thereby to bring the same into engagement with the upper surface of the drawer bottom and the lateral extensions of the base into engagement with the lower surface of HENRY S. JOHNS. 

